Journalist released from prison

A journalist in the Central African Republic (CAR), who had been jailed for libelling CAR leader Francois Bozize, has been released after serving two months of his six-month sentence, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), reported on Monday. The New York-based committee said Judes Zossé, the publication director of the privately owned daily newspaper L'Hirondelle, was released on Friday under a presidential pardon. CPJ reported that Zossé was sentenced to six months in prison on 12 March for "insulting the head of state" after his newspaper reprinted an article from the opposition news Web site Centrafrique-presse.com. The report had alleged that Bozize, who came to power after a March 2003 coup, had personally taken over the collection of taxes in the country, prompting two senior treasury officials to contemplate resignation. "The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release of Judes Zossé, but he never should have been jailed in the first place," Ann Cooper, the CPJ executive director, was quoted as saying. "We call on authorities in the Central African Republic to work toward removing criminal penalties for press offenses." CPJ is a an independent, nonprofit organisation that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide. [More information about press conditions in the CAR is available online at: www.cpj.org ]